ANet is a nonprofit dedicated to the premise that every child in America deserves an excellent education and the opportunities it provides. We pursue our vision of educational equality in America by helping schools boost student learning with great teaching that is grounded in standards, informed by data, and built on the successful practices of educators around the country.

Improving teacher practice through developmental coaching

With all the time, energy, and money devoted to teacher development these days, school leaders—and everybody concerned about education—want to be sure it’s actually paying off in the form of improved teaching and learning.

With all the time, energy, and money devoted to teacher development these days, school leaders—and everybody concerned about education—want to be sure it’s actually paying off in the form of improved teaching and learning.

One way to maximize impact is to align coaching support both to teachers’ developmental goals and to their school's instructional priorities. That way, teachers focus on a combination of individual and school-wide goals that work synergistically to improve their teaching practice. Additionally, when leaders and coaches break goals down into bite-sized action steps, it's far more likely that teachers will attain them and be able to celebrate their progress along the way.

We created this guide for school leaders and coaches to help deepen their understanding of how to support teachers as they work towards individual and school-wide goals through a developmental coaching cycle. Use this on your own or with your leadership team to practice and hone your skills around goal-setting, observation and feedback, and developmental support for your teachers.